For Argument's Sake
by Jixie
Summary: Sokka and Zuko wax philosophical on the reasoning behind Fire Lord Sozin's tyranny.


For Argument's Sake

By Jixie 10/2008

Avatar: The Last Airbender © Nickelodeon

* * *

"It's weird, but in a way, I'm starting to understand why."

 _Why._

They were back in the city: after the coronation, the official declaration that the war was, yes, finally over, and the initial planning stages for the Fire Nation's withdraw from the Earth Kingdom had been put into motion.

This time they were not there as emissaries of peace, or as the Avatar and his allies, or even as the Lord of the most powerful country in the world and his supporters. Not for building a rebellious army or refugees hiding from father. They were there as friends.

Friends taking a very much needed break.

The house that they were put up in was extravagant, but none of them were willing to turn down the generosity of the Earth King. Their time was divided mostly to the guest house, Iroh's equally ornate home, the teashop after hours, and…

…shopping. The girls, particularly, who were out at the moment. Sokka would've been with them, because heavens knew he loved to spend money (especially when it wasn't his _own_ money), but he was tired and stayed behind. Aang had gone to pester Iroh and get his hands on some delicious tea. This left Zuko, who'd already learned the hard way that he could no longer wander the streets without being recognized. Where this had always worked to Aang's advantage, it was not such a good thing for Zuko.

He was flopped out on a mat on the floor, decked in pleasant earthy-green attire. Sokka got the distinct impression that this was not about comfort or fashion, but that Zuko was trying to regress back to a simpler time.

 _Why._

Okay, so he'd take the bait. "What do you _mean_ , you can 'understand why'? It's pretty straightforward, if you ask me. Sozin was a crazy megalomaniac bastard. See? What's there to understand?"

Zuko made a half-hearted attempt to sit up, but then laid back down. He may, possibly, have been a little inebriated. With adults traveling with them this time, their provisions had included an interesting assortment of rice and fruit based wine. Personally, Sokka preferred the sweeter berry variety, while Zuko and Mai tended towards the drier rice collection.

"See, it's more complicated than that. I'm not saying they were _right_ — you know that." Then he did sit up, arms back with palms flat on the floor, leaning heavily on his hands. "You've traveled around the world, you've _seen_ it. Sozin may have been crazy, and he definitely had his ego's best interest at heart… but at least part of all this started because we were just doing so much better than everyone else."

"Oh _please_. Do you even listen to yourself sometimes? The Fire—"

"Sokka. The Fire Nation has a very large population of lower class, compared to our middle and upper classes. But you and the others spent months in hiding, living among our 'poor'… and what did you see?"

He was reluctant to answer, and after several long minutes, Zuko continued.

"When Uncle and I were fugitives, we were stuck in the thick of Earth Kingdom poverty. These people had their pride and their hope. That's _all_ they had. I saw people without homes, without clothes on their backs. People who couldn't even afford rice to feed their families…"

"Because of the war!" Sokka exploded. "If it weren't for that damn war that's ravished this country for the past hundred years, it wouldn't be like this!" He seethed, and started pacing the room. What was Zuko getting at, anyway? The Fire Nation had been successful at war, so they were successful at home. The Earth Kingdom had been partially overthrown, and diverted massive resources to the war efforts. It was _obvious_.

Zuko let him catch his breath before even trying to resume. Once Sokka had calmed down a little, the Fire Lord continued. "Really? I think you need to take a look at your early Earth Kingdom history. Even their records show that rampant poverty has been a problem long before the war started. If anything, the war gave their economy a small boost." He paused, tilting his head to the side. "We passed through parts of the country that were untouched by war, and the people were starving. Hell, _I_ was starving."

He noticed Sokka's questioning look, and shook his head.

"I'll tell you about it some other time. Now… the Fire Nation. Even our poorest citizen is still well fed, decently clothed, and have no worries about keeping a shelter over their head. Fact is, we _have_ been prosperous, even well before we started conquering other nations." Then Zuko had a solemn, distant look in his eyes, and it gave Sokka goosebumps. "I think about Lee and his family, and Jin, and all those people in the lower ring… and if things had been _different_ , if we'd gone about it some other way, if greed and power hadn't been such a big factor…" He shook his head again. "Nevermind. It's just when I think about it, I can kind of understand."

 _Why._

Sokka rubbed the bridge of his nose, trying to massage away the cloud of frustration. Maybe Zuko had a point. _Maybe._ He didn't really want to think about it right now.

Sitting down cross-legged, he rested his hands on his knees. Time to change the subject.

"So, speaking of stuff you were going to tell us some other time: what's the deal with that scar again?"

Zuko laughed. "You know, I'm not nearly drunk enough for that one."

The wine it was, then.


End file.
